Fear was something that linked all humanoid life in the end, Ulgrin found. It didn’t matter who you were, where you were from, or what your plans were. There was always something that could drive fear into the hearts of man. Be it dwarf, human, elf, beastfolk, halfling, orc, or any other. You could become afraid.

So too, it seemed, could the Gods.

His question had created a crack in the perfect veneer that the Archfey had put on so far. Even as she threatened him with a terrible death he could still sense the underlying tone behind that strange voice. It was fear. She was afraid of the question which meant she knew what would be coming. Or at least had some clue.

Even as she loomed over him he felt something inside of himself shift. Fear filled every inch of Ulgrin’s body. He couldn’t even breathe from the pressure she exerted. But he knew he had to push past it. Fear was meant to be overcome. He owed it to his Grandfather to learn the truth at the heart of it all.

Through parched lips, he spoke. “I’m sorry, but I need to ask again. What happens when the sky is sundered and the great void comes?” Queen Erenaya twitched, entire body shuddering. He was invoking something terrible. “You may kill me and breach the guest’s rights, but my friends need to know the answer. Will you kill them too? Until your karmic backlash hits you five-fold?” His friends looked at him as if he was an idiot, which he likely was.

“You know not the slightest of what you ask, creature of stone.” She replied, tone dry as ice. “You know not the power which I hold. When a merchant commits a crime, does he not simply pay a fine and continue as normal? I would be delighted to pay such a debt if it meant ridding the world of another mortal too curious for his own good.” She stared down at him, reaching out with a dainty looking hand as if to pluck his heart in an instant. Her fury was almost physical, eating away at his bravery.

Ulgrin felt her large and perfectly smooth fingers brush against his neck. He shuddered, coming very close to either pissing himself or throwing up. Perhaps both at the same time. But he had to keep asking.

“There’s no future for us if we don’t know how to stop what’s coming. I ask for a third and final time: What happens when the sky is sundered and the great void comes?”

There was a great moment of silence as Queen Erenaya’s fingers stopped caressing his neck. For a moment he thought she was going to kill them all and damn the consequences. But she didn’t. One second trailed into two and then into three. Their heads remained mercifully attached.

Suddenly a great weight left the Queen and she almost slumped over. The pressure in the room deflated, allowing Ulgrin to finally breathe once more. Blissful air circulated through his lungs as he gasped for breath, trying to calm his racing heart. Just standing up to her had cut years off his lifespan, no doubt. Her voice returned, softer but no less grand.

“I see. Then I cannot dissuade you from learning the truth. That is the fallacy in man, their great hunger for knowledge. From your first steps in the dirt, you’ve always sought more. Was fire not enough? No. Was the heights of magic enough? Never. You had to keep pushing and pulling, scrabbling for more. I shall tell you the truth behind the so-called ‘Ancients’.”

She gestured and the scenery changed. They were no longer in a beautiful garden, but a breathtaking theater.

Masterfully crafted pillars rose along the walls. Rows of fine, leather-lined seats circled an amphitheater space. Witch-lights filled the space, but they could see no farther beyond an inky darkness. Shockingly, the theater was empty, save for their party. Even the Queen had disappeared, but given her haunting voice she was still here, but acting as a narrator.

“Humankind has always sought more knowledge. It is your curse, your great failing in the world. You lack the power and breadth of the Gods, but you remain more than mere beast or elemental. We among the Fey could not help but grow interested, and watched the saga of your lives play out.”

On the stage they all watched as string-bound puppets began to walk and move. They re-enacted the jobs of the common people, farming the land and living their life. Some broke away and formed towers, built walls, waged war. Even as the wooden figurines battled, they still bled fresh crimson blood that stained the stage.

But storms washed away the viscera, leaving behind a united people. Those people began to work together. Their towns grew, thriving in a world past the rigors of war.

“Peace is a difficult thing to acquire amongst your kind. But the urge to fight always returns. However, instead of fighting amongst yourselves you turned your attention upwards.” The puppets began to drag stone blocks towards the base of a large tower. “You raged against the Gods, despite their inability to truly change the world. And when they refused to bend the knee, you looked further.”

The tower grew higher and higher, the groups of puppets becoming a blur as time passed. Until they laid one final brick. Dozens of them gathered at the peak, even as the world around them was burning. One, an elven man dressed in a simple set of robes, took a blade and thrust it upwards. The kitchen knife dug into something. It cut a hole into space itself.

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Below them the Gods flew, massive caricatures of ice and flame, stone and wind, reaching out with hands in an attempt to stop the puppets. They desperately reached for the breach, trying to stop it. An eye grew from the hole in reality. Its sclera was less white and more the opposite of black. An absence, in and of itself.

The void stared down into the world below. The puppets held out their hands, joyous expressions upon their faces even as their eyes began to bleed. The eye blinked and turned to face him. He could feel its presence, a deep sense of wrongness spreading through Ulgrin’s body. It was real. That thing was coming. The scene disappeared, and suddenly the group found themselves back in the garden, clutching their chests and breathing heavily.

He couldn’t parse what had happened. It was obviously a play on the true events but… Had that really happened? Had his ancestors reached beyond the world?

Queen Erendaya stared at him, folding her arms. “Its entry broke the world, irreparably. Whatever came through has no name, for its existence is different to ours. It took the sacrifice of the Old Gods to prevent it from fully entering this world, but they did not stop it forever. As you can imagine, one day that entity will return. And it will not be good for you, or your kin.”

He was speechless. To think that something of that scale had barely been prevented from ruining the world. And it still had been shattered into dozens of pieces and forced to go through a century of turmoil? The enormity of it all hit him square in the chest, driving his breath away.

Ulgrin was supposed to stop that thing? Even as a puppet, the sight had sent utter terror down his spine. He wanted to run, to hide, to curl up in a ball and hope whatever was looking at him would leave him alone. But he couldn’t. He had to do something, even if it killed him. The world couldn’t be shattered a second time and hope to survive.

“It seems…” He rasped out, clutching his shaking knees. “It seems that I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“Hmph.” Queen Erendaya grumbled. “So you are strong enough after all. I had thought so. Perhaps it won’t be so much of a Fool’s Errand as I thought, though you are still very much the epitome of one for deigning to ignore my words of warning.” She sent him a baleful look. “I should still gut you, but I am a merciful Queen.”

“We are very grateful for your mercy,” Alyss says, bowing deeply and reaching over to force Ulgrin to do the same. “Please forgive this ignoramus of a leader.”

“Yes. Quite. Bow as much as you like, but know that with this my guest right’s towards you all has ended.” She stood up suddenly with a flourish. “Your stay here has gone on long enough. I give you the right to delve into my waters and rid us of the Ancient’s mistakes. Go.”

“Yes my lady,” Ulgrin replied, standing up quickly as getting his allies to do the same. They were all weary of this world anyways. The feylands had been a strange and chaotic place to navigate, rife with danger. It would be best if they kept their visit short.

Tenebrous quickly appeared to guide them, an amused expression in his body language.

After leaving the presence of Queen Erendaya, he spoke up. “You are lucky she was in a good mood. In four out of five futures I saw your heart being torn. But perhaps she knew that as well?” The amused shadowman guides them out from the castle and onto the city streets. It’s just as strange as before, but today it seems almost… subdued? There were less people out and about.

“Luck was on my side this time, it seems.” Ulgrin replied, still feeling nauseous from the events having taken place. The quicker they left, the better.

“Not just on your side, but flowing through your veins.” Raelza said with an annoyed glare. “I thought that…” She hesitated to say any curse words about the Queen. “Fey was going to kill us all and turn our corpses into toys. But we survive another life-defying situation. Again.”

“Saezz is simply glad that we know more about the Ancients. It also gives us something to look for. This tower of theirs.”

The orb in his pockets pulsed. [The Tower of Babel. Named after an incredibly gifted man. Ulgrin, are you okay?] Despite the fact that she had only just begun to ‘live’ again, Lorekeeper couldn’t help but ask for his health. Ulgrin was very touched.

“As well as I can be. My heart almost burst from its confines, but I’m still here. This tower you speak of… Is it a real tower? Something tells me it’s not like the one in the play.”

[No. But the original designs weren’t meant for… that. It was meant as a means to face the Gods, not bring about whatever ruinous force awaits beyond the fabric of space and time.]

He shrugged. “Then it seems someone must have altered the plans along the way. Not like we’ll be able to figure out much until we find out where this Tower of Babel is. But if its remains lay at the Eye of the World it’s going to be a pain in the arse to get there, let alone investigate.”

Alyss looked him up and down. “Are you seriously okay? You went through a lot of stress facing her like that.”

Ulgrin was tempted to make a playful comment, but he let the false bravado fade away. “No, I’m not alright in the slightest. I don’t think any of you noticed, but that eye was staring at me. Me. It could see right through me, every part of my being. But I can’t slow down or I’ll collapse.” Exhaustion filled his core. “I need to at least get to the boat first, maybe?” He asked, trying to smile for his friends and failing at it.

Saezz immediately wrapped a hand around his shoulder and propped him up. “Very well. Saezz believes you’ve more than earned a break anyways. Shall we depart from this odd city?”

“We shall.” Raelza replied. “I hate this place, not gonna lie. The sooner we get out, the better.”

Fleeting Wind cast him a glance, hand protectively upon his ward’s back. “You’ve taken a great burden upon yourself, Ulgrin. I do not envy the choice, but respect your decision. Soon we shall part ways, but I wish the best of luck in your journeys going forwards. Maya no doubt feels the same.”

“Yeah! I didn’t really understand what was going on back there but… You can do it, mister Ulgrin!” The child said, inspiring words filling him with warmth.

“Thanks, lass.” He replied earnestly. The group then set off again, navigating the chaotic streets thanks to Tenebrous’ knowledge. Eventually they arrived back at their entry point and began clambering up the stairs towards the water’s ‘surface’. Once again they were faced with a watery barrier.

“This is where we part ways,” the shadowman said. “Likewise, I should probably wish you all good fortune. You face a grim future but… Perhaps you will all be able to pull it off. Nothing is set in stone.”

Alyss waved. “Goodbye, Tenebrous. It was good meeting you!”

Their group promptly ‘rose’ past the waters and onto the surface of the lake, leaving the Murky Court behind. Taking in a breath of fresh air, Ulgrin felt like a new dwarf. Awaiting them on the surface was their boat, just as they had left it. Lazy-looking sailors aboard startled at their appearance, but cheers filled the air.

Soon they would be on their way to investigating this ruin and finding more clues. But first all Ulgrin wanted was a nice nap, a hard beer, and a dreamless sleep.

He knew what was coming and felt his deadline even more clearly. It gripped his heart, but he knew he had to rest.

At least for a short time.

Sure has been a while, huh? I took a long break to get my situation in order. Temporary hiatuses like this may happen, but hopefully they'll always be temporary. Thank you all for reading and returning to this book. Arc two will be ending soon, but I don't plan to take a long break before starting the new arc. See you all next chapter.

Also as a side note, the maps archive has been updated to include the new Andire Map! Hopefully it gives a clearer idea of the party's journey.